New Wave

A new generation of watches with integrated bracelets have surfaced in recent years, adding some much needed variety to the options available today

- JAMIE TAN

COINCIDENCES

often happen in Hollywood, with films sporting similar premises released within weeks of one another. Deep Impact and Armageddon both came out in 1998, as did Antz and A Bug’s Life. More recent examples include 2013’s White House Down and Olympus Has Fallen. Considering that full-length feature films take years to conceptualise and produce, these coincidences are more than a little uncanny. The luxury watch industry has witnessed this phenomenon too. You may remember the uncoordinated (yet seemingly simultaneous) introduction of timepieces with gem-set rubber bezels just a few years ago, or the sudden influx of watches with meteorite dials, or even the surge of dials in various shades of green. And the latest iteration of this trend? A penchant for integrated bracelets.

Explaining The Trend

If its name doesn’t make it apparent enough, an integrated bracelet is one that seamlessly combines with the watch case to create a unified whole. This typically requires additional design work on the case, lugs and bracelet, with the chief benefit being a more cohesive visual identity for the timepiece. When designed right, integrated bracelets can also be more comfortable by conforming more closely to the wearer’s wrist.